


Marbles and Heels

by writesstuff



Series: The Tiger Talk Cafe [1]
Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: F/M, Near Death, Pining, Reader almost dies, reader - Freeform, sexual innuendo, various - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-01
Updated: 2015-03-01
Packaged: 2018-03-15 18:35:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 6,229
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3457526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/writesstuff/pseuds/writesstuff
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lussuria sighed for you as they began playing with your hair.</p><p>"I gave him ‘fuck me’ eyes for a solid half hour yesterday and he asked if he had something on his face!" They barely held their laugh in. "I was so mad I yelled ‘just that grody mustache’ and left the mansion for the night." </p><p>Levi's subordinate isn't shy or reserved about her wanting him. He's just painfully oblivious.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"GET ME SOME COFFEE THAT ISN'T SHIT, TRASH!"

You dodged a glass and ducked out of the room Xanxus was in, Levi joining you a moment later. "Yeesh, he needs to take the stick outta his ass," you grumbled. 

"Don't disrespect Xanxus!" Levi growled. 

"Yeah, yeah." You waved him off and scoffed, "You're the one who brought him that shit coffee, I don't know why I got the glass thrown at me," you walked away from him. 

"Where are you going?" He called. 

"To get the precious Boss his damned coffee!" You called back, voice deadpan as you turned the corner. 

Your Varia uniform kept a wide berth around you as you ducked into various cafes. None of them held any sort of interest or heavenly smells, so you were left wandering for over an hour. 

Your earpiece crackled to life and Levi's deep voice growled, _"Where are you?"_

You shivered, because you weren't one to hide facts, and the fact was, you were insanely attracted to his voice. And him. "Ah, Levi~" you acknowledged him, holding a hand to your ear to press the comm. button. "I'm just looking for a coffee place," you added. 

You listened to Xanxus yell in the background and winced. "I'm sure I'll find one soon." 

_"Just get back here. Now."_

"Ah, okay, alright!" You spotted a little cheerful display and skipped through the door, took a deep breath and moaned at the smell. 

The only worker present gave you an odd look, smiled, and said, "Can I help you?" 

You took stock of her, looking her up and down and nodded. "Yes, hello, 6 large coffees, sugar and creams on the side! Um...oooh you have cinnamon rolls? 2 of those. Oooooooh!" You pressed your face against the display. "This is on my boss' credit. I'll also get some, maybe 4, blueberry scones, 4 strawberry tarts, hmmm a berry muffin, aaaand that whole banana cream pie. Also your name and number because you look like my Boss' type." 

"I'm sorry?" 

"Just fuck me up," you said seriously. 

Her lips wobbled while trying not to laugh but filled your order and took the card you handed her before you left out the door, balancing the bags precariously. 

You had only walked maybe 20 minutes from the mansion, which you were grateful for. 

"OOOIIIII!" You yelled as you kicked the front door, waiting for someone to open it for you. A moment later, Levi was there and took some of the bags off you, "Finally. Jesus," you rolled your shoulders to alleviate the stiffness. 

"Where did you go?" He asked as he followed you to Xanxus' office. 

"I had to find somewhere good!" You replied, pushing the door open after knocking with your boot and getting permission to enter. 

Xanxus looked at you and scowled. "You've been gone FOR AN HOUR!" 

You hid behind the coffee, yelling, "THE COFFEE AND BAKED SHIT I BROUGHT BACK WILL MAKE YOU CRY!" and hoped it would stop any form of abuse. When none came, you peeked over the bag and coffee in front of you before handing him his coffee and the cinnamon rolls. 

He sipped his coffee, glare not leaving your face. He did look away at last to pick at the cinnamon roll. "You get to live today." 

You bit your lip so hard you tasted blood, in an attempt to not laugh. "Yes, Boss!" You bowed and left with some of the baked goods and other coffees to hand to the other Varia elites. You showed a picture of the cafe owner to Luss as you gave them a couple of blueberry scones. "Isn't she pretty?" 

"Are you interested in her?" they asked. 

You shook your head. "I meant for the Boss! Maybe he'd calm the hell down and stop throwing things at us." 

"Not likely." 

"Alright, maybe he'd not do it as much," you amended.


	2. Chapter 2

You were minding your own business, doodling on a napping Squalo's face when Xanxus found you.

"You there. Levi's shrimp." 

You were mildly offended. It wasn't your fault that just because Levi was a fucking monster that you, in comparison, looked small. 

"Oi, I'm not a shrimp," you replied, voice hushed as you kept doodling on Squalo's face. 

"Tch, I don't care. You're taking me to the cafe you got the coffee from yesterday." He ordered. 

You stood, saluted, and said, "Yes, Boss!" You sent Belphegor a quick picture of Squalo, with the captions, 'film his reaction plz boss is making me get him coffee', and lead the way out. 

Halfway there, he grabbed the back of your uniform and held you up in the air, face to face with him. "Why did we walk?" 

"Um...I don't know, sorry! Don't kill me!" You covered your face and went limp. 

He scoffed but let you drop to the ground. "You need the exercise," he grumbled. 

You puffed yourself up, "Wow, rude!" He cast you a glance but kept walking. You followed, because he was heading in the right direction, but you continued to grumble about rude ass bosses. So what if he was probably teasing you in his own way because he had found you eating the entire banana cream pie the night before? The point stands! 

Tugging him to a stop, he sent you a thunderous look and you pointed to the cafe in question. "This is it?" He asked. 

"Yes, Boss!" You saluted again and lead the way in, looking for any threats as you did so. Spotting none, you bowed dramatically and motioned him through the door. He smacked the back of your head as he passed and you pouted up at him. "Stop acting like Levi," he grunted. 

"Yes, Boss!" He glared at you for that and you smiled in return. 

The owner spotted you and Xanxus and smiled pleasantly. "Ah, you're back! I take it you liked the coffee and pastries?" she asked. 

You draped yourself across the counter and exclaimed, "YES!" You jerked your thumb at Xanxus. "He actually made me show him how to get here," you whispered conspiratorially. 

Xanxus growled as he stepped up beside you. The owner gave him a smile and then looked at you, "Boyfriend?" 

Your snort was both loud and embarrassing. You covered your face and laughed, "Sorry!" You glanced at Xanxus, who was staring at you in mild disgust, while she bit her lips to stop from laughing at you. "No, he's my Boss," you finally said when you calmed and Xanxus had refused to answer. 

"I'm _____, this is my Boss, Xanxus." 

He bopped you over the head again and growled, "Don't refer to me so casually." 

You made a face behind his back as he pushed you behind him. "Large coffee, 3 cinnamon rolls, and whatever pie you have." 

You perked up at that. "Did he say pie?" You thought, looking at the lemon meringue sitting prettily in the display case. 

She rang his total up and asked, "Anything else?" 

He was curt, though you noticed his gaze had never left her face the entire time. "No." 

When she placed the items on the counter, he picked up the cinnamon rolls and coffee, leaving you to pick up the pie. You waved enthusiastically as you left, walking a few steps ahead of Xanxus as Levi had instructed. 

"She's pretty, ne?" You asked, looking over your shoulder, swinging the pie to and fro as you practically skipped back to the mansion. 

He merely raised an eyebrow at you. 

"Yes, I'm so good. I'd probably be better than Lussuria," you ha-ha'd as you struck a pose. 

He kicked you in the back, making you move again. "Keep walking, scum." 

"Sorry, Boss!" You replied, lightly patting your back free of dust.


	3. Chapter 3

"Levi!~" you yelled as you ran from a screaming Squalo. "I'm your subordinate, stop him from killing me!" You somersaulted between Levi's legs, rolling into a crouch and pushing off from a sprinter's starting stance to run faster.

You heard Squalo yell behind you as he crashed into Levi. You cackled as you got away. 

Later, after Levi found you sitting in a tree, he yelled at you from the ground. "You can't keep making the other Varia mad and pawning their punishments onto me!" 

You climbed higher, yelling back, "You're the Lightning guardian! You're supposed to take the damage of your group!" 

"And you're my storm; you're supposed to be in middle of it all!" He started climbing after you. Probably to try to punish you for your insubordination. 

"I am! Who's the one who's matchmaking our precious Boss? Who keeps riling everyone up?" You opened your box weapon, rolled the marbles between your fingers thoughtfully and dropped one down, watching as Levi's hulking mass had to jump to another branch as the one he was on exploded. 

"Stop throwing those marbles at me!" He grunted as you threw another one, making him latch onto a branch and hang 20 feet in the air. He didn't bother trying to pull himself up. 

You stopped when you neared the top, laughing in realization. "____ and Levi, sitting in a tree, not K-I-S-S-I-N-G," you sang. "That can be changed, Boss~" you called down. 

"Stop messing around!" He yelled. You scowled at the rejection, dropping a swirling red marble down and watching as it hit the branch Levi was hanging from and exploded. 

He landed on his feet and glared up at you. "Get down here!" 

"No!" You stuck your tongue out at him.

"You're being immature!" 

"So?" 

He rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Please come down here?" He looked at you so pitifully you sighed, drooping as you started hopping from branch to branch until you reached the lower ones. You stopped and stared down at him. "What are you going to do when I get down there?" You weren't _completely_ naïve. 

He went with truthful. "Administer your punishment." 

You weighed your options as you leaned against the tree trunk. "Is it a sexy punishment?" 

He spluttered long enough for you to launch off the branch you were on, over his head, and off into the more closely pressed trees, where he couldn't follow unless he was smaller. "Make it sexy and I'll reconsider!" You yelled, cackling.


	4. Chapter 4

A month had passed, very slowly. You had accompanied Xanxus to the Tiger Talk Cafe a few more times, each time thoroughly disappointed each time he barely got out his order and didn’t get her number. She seemed just as oblivious to his attempts, so you left judging them both a lot.

"It’s pathetic," you whined to Lussuria, stuffing bites of chocolate pie into your mouth. 

They had their mouth covered as you complained, a thoughtful look on their face. “I can empathize with seeing pathetic creatures,” they replied. 

You looked up, glared, and asked, “What's that supposed to mean?” 

"You need to stop eating your feelings. You’re going to gain weight, no matter how much you train," they remarked with a hand wave.

"Mama~" you whined, putting your fork down. Of course Lussuria read you like an open book. "Levi is so dumb." 

Lussuria patted your hair down soothingly, “I know, dear.” 

"I've asked him out so many times and he's always brushing me off like he doesn't _get it_ , like what's not to get?" You looked up at them. 

Luss shrugged their shoulders. "Do you do it straight out?" They asked. "Yes! I've tried being subtle, then when that failed, I asked him straight out, 'do you want to go on a date?' and you know what? He was all 'you will not get closer to Xanxus by going through me' and didn't speak to me for weeks! It's been two years, maybe i should just give up." You fell back against the chair you were in. Lussuria sighed for you as they began playing with your hair. "I gave him ‘fuck me’ eyes for a solid half hour yesterday and he asked if he had something on his face!" They barely held their laugh in. "I was so mad I yelled ‘just that grody mustache’ and left the mansion for the night." You picked the fork back up and shovelled a piece into your mouth, "I only came back this morning after she opened the cafe and sold me this pie." 

Lussuria couldn’t stop the laughter, even as they buried their face in your hair and clutched you to them as if you were a teddy bear. 

That’s how Levi found you. He had stood straighter, glowered at the two of you, and said, “Boss wants us to do a sweep of the grounds.” 

You stood, pressed down your jacket, and bowed. “Yes, Levi.” As you left, you shot Lussuria a deadpan stare, pulling your hair back into a bun. They waved you off, much to the apparent annoyance of Levi. 

You looked at his stiffer than usual posture, poked his side, and whispered, “Ne, ne, Levi. A. Than~” you punctuated his name, with every poke. “Don’t tell me you’re jealous of Mama Luss~” you teased, covering your mouth and letting out a mocking, “Oh hohoho~” when his cheeks took on a pink hue. 

"Don’t be ridiculous," he snapped. 

You put as much animation into your next words as you could, “I only have eyes for a tall, deep voiced, porcupine-haired man who is devoted to his boss and wears a black uniform!” 

He looked down at you and scoffed. “Where would you find someone like that?” 

You stared at him, leaned back in shock at his obliviousness, and then punched him straight in the solar plexus. “Dummy! DUMMY LEVI!” 

He doubled over, holding his chest as you stomped away from him to go start the check around of the mansion, yelling at his other subordinates to follow you.


	5. Chapter 5

Levi stared at himself in his bathroom mirror. He frowned deeply as he flattened his hair.

You had been avoiding him for the better part of a fortnight, slowly being integrated into Bel's group of subordinates. He had let you, seeing as all you ever did when around him was screw around and cause chaos in your wake. He had worried the trouble would have doubled when you had gravitated to Belphegor, but all you did was train twice as hard as you did before, and make Belphegor plan his pranks extensively so they were fewer in number. 

He scowled at the thought and flattened his hair again. 

"Porcupine hair. Tall. Deep voice. Black uniform. Devoted to his boss." He grunted to himself, standing straight and then slouching. "That Tsuna kid isn't a subordinate or that tall...that Sun guardian is, though," He hit his fist against his palm in realization. "She likes that kid!"

Sitting at the edge of his bed, he stared into space, glaring harder as the image of the two of you made his insides roil. "It's gross," he rationalized. A knock to his door pulled him from his thoughts and he called, "Come in!" 

Bel entered, giggling as he pulled you behind him. You struggled more fiercely at the sight of Levi. "Take her back, she starts fights and doesn't finish them personally. And we already have a storm." He pushed you hard enough for you to fall in front of Levi. 

"You're an ass, Bel! See if I ever help you with a prank again!" You waved a fist at him as he left, his signature laugh the only thing you heard as he closed the door behind himself. You looked up at Levi, bowed your head, and said, "Boss." 

He stared down at you. "You like the Vongola Sun Guardian." It wasn't a question. 

You blinked up at him. "What?" 

"Tall, porcupine-haired, deep voiced Sun guardian," he made a face as he said it.

You dropped your face into the carpet at his feet. "Stupid. You're stupid. I give up. Two years." You pushed yourself into a standing position, saluted, and turned about face. "No. I do not like that guy. He's too loud." You stomped from the room and slammed the door behind you.


	6. Chapter 6

You sulked and pouted and threw yourself into training as to avoid doing rounds with Levi and Lussuria. Levi, because he was so oblivious it almost physically hurt, and Lussuria because they could read you like an open book, and would try to make you face your problems. Bel had been a safe choice, though the girl on Luss' team had taken to looking at you like you were someone to be admired. You didn't know why exactly, so you dismissed it.

You couldn't avoid them both forever, especially not when the Millefiore attacked and you had to help defend the crumbled mansion. 

"This is gonna be a pain in the ass to clean up," you said as you used the specially made sling shot to shoot a marble at one of the white spell. You covered Levi's back as he made his way back to Xanxus. 

"____? Will you be fine?" He asked, looking back at you briefly. 

"Oh yeah, totally! Just go!" You shot one passed him, hitting the White Spell trying to sneak in a frontal attack. 

Xanxus didn't actually need help, from anyone, but if it made Levi feel better to be by his boss, you were going to make sure he got there with minimal damage. 

You winced as an errant marble landed near him, causing a tree to explode and hit him with some shrapnel. It made him fly towards the destroyed mansion at a quicker rate, but it still looked painful. "SORRY!" 

You didn't pay attention to your opponents as he disappeared from view, so it wasn't an entire surprise when there was a searing hot pain in your side and you were knocked from the tree you were in. Taking a handful of marbles from your pocket, you charged them passed their capacity with your flames, and threw them with all your might at the remaining Millefiore. Getting caught in the blast, further injuring yourself, was not part of the plan, but you figured there was a means to the end, before you hit the ground.

You made a noise at the firework like explosion above you, pressed your hand to your comm. button and said, "Sorry, Boss, I fucked up," you were met with static and sighed. Of course your earpiece was wrecked when you needed it. Holding your heavily bleeding side, you attempted to move where no one would find you. You failed, fearing a broken back or too weak arm as you flopped back into place. You made a keening noise and thought, "Fuck, I'm going to die." At the thought of why, you let out another noise as you attempted to use your good arm to move your body, "Shit, he doesn't even know I like him," you groaned.


	7. Chapter 7

Shouting and pain and relief and pain and more shouting was what you came to, but that was only because of the blinding pain at being moved around.

You squinted your eyes open and seen Luss' Sun protégé. "Oh, good. Ease my passage with death, thank you." 

"Shut up!" You were surprised. She had always been on the quiet side. Always hiding out at the cafe after you dragged her there after finding her having a panic attack over a meeting with the Elite Varia. She was made to bring stuff back to the mansion more often than not, thus giving you more time to train or do missions. "Just stop. You're going to live." 

You let out a wet laugh. "Yeah, okay," you lifted your arm and patted her hand, not surprised when you left a bloody streak. "Bye-bi~" 

She smacked you despite your injuries. "Now is not the time to tease me about my crush on Bel," she hissed as her box Hawk hovered above you, bathing you in yellow flames. 

"Right, sorry," you muttered, "I'm just gonna go back to sleep, m'kay?" 

"No, wait!"

You passed back out. 

\--_--_-- 

When you woke up again, you were in a hospital, completely healed (thank you sun flames), and a mess. 

The doctor who was standing at the end of your bed looked surprised but pleased. "Good morning," he greeted.

"Yo!" 

He tamped down a smile. "So, what do you remember?" 

"I almost, or did, die for a bit there?" 

"Um, yes. Anything else?" 

You shrugged, feeling the weakness in your arm and making a face. "How long have I been out?" 

"Only for the last two days," he looked down at your chart, "which is shocking, with how injured you were when you were brought in. Your lower 4 ribs were obliterated, your clothes were so bloody but we couldn't find any wounds to your skin besides the burns, your left arm bone was broken beyond repair, your right leg seemed like it was blasted off your body, and you had a concussion." 

You stared at him, stared down at your body and then back at him, "Whoa." 

He nodded and replied, "Yes, whoa." 

"Wait, if my arm was irreparable, how do I still have the arm and can do this," you flapped your arm about. Your hand flopped weirdly, but you could still feel it. To a degree. You made a slow fist. 

"We had to replace your irreparable bones with this new technology we've been given the okay to use recently." 

"What." 

"It's stronger than your old bones, but more flexible, so you will need to train your body to adjust to the difference. For one, it's hollow like a birds." 

"Can I fly now?" 

He gave you a patient look. "No." 

"Well what's the damned point? You could've given me a sword like Squalo." He stared at you again. "What about my leg?" You didn't want to lift the blanket, but your curiosity got the better of you, and you peeled it back to show just a bandaged stump. You stared down at it in horror. "Holy shit." 

"See, when we went to size you for a prosthetic, your husband said not to bother and that he'd bring you to a specialist." 

Your gaze snapped up from your leg to the doctor. "My husband?" After a moment, you squinted at him and asked, "I didn't propose to any nurses or other doctors while I was out, did I?" 

He chuckled good-naturedly. "No, this fellow was tall, dark hair...um...mustache?" 

Your face started burning hotly and you asked, as calm as you could. "Was the mustache weird looking?" 

The doctor stared at you. "If I say yes will you be mad?" 

You covered your face, worried you'd have a bleeding nose. "No." 

"Then yes." 

"What else?" You squeaked. 

"I'm sorry?" 

"My ribs." 

"Your spine, miraculously stayed intact, so we were able to remake your ribs and put them in their original spots, with the same bone replacement as your arm." 

"So I'll be super flexible?" 

"As flexible as your spine will allow," he said with an exasperated look. 

You figured he got that question a lot. "So what else did my _husband_ say?" you asked, a sly grin on your face. 

"That he would be back later today, but he had business to attend to with his boss."

_Your husband_ didn't return, but Luss arrived to pick you up the next day. 

"He called himself my husband but didn't even come to get his wife? What's wrong with him?" You complained as Luss lifted you up and set you into a wheelchair. 

Lussuria tittered as they set you down. "I'm sure Levi has a good reason," they replied, patting your hair down and rolling you from the room. 

Arriving at the still destroyed mansion, you salvaged what little you could and went to your parents house. Your mom cried at your state and you rolled your eyes dramatically. 

Levi arrived days later, threw you a prosthetic with a gruff, "Train with that and don't bother returning until you've mastered it." 

You stared down at it. "Thanks, hubby," you barely got out. It didn't stop him from stumbling and nearly hitting your doorframe as he left. 

It reminded you of a movie you seen once. "Oh my god," you whispered, but put it on and found it fit perfectly. You stared at your door and then sighed. "Does this mean I'll have to learn how to walk and fight in heels, too?" 

You sulked through practicing to even walk with it for a few weeks, at the least. Maybe a month at the most. You had sulked so long that the Boss had finally gotten around to asking the baking goddess from the Tiger Talk Cafe out. 

It came after she was attacked and he had been so inconsolable (well, violently angry and not at all happy and _also_ absent for the following 3 weeks), but it still counted as him getting over that hurtle! You nodded to yourself thoughtfully as you brought the knife sharp heel down from a kick. 

It took you that long to get used to walking, through sheer determination to be back by Levi's side. You were feeling so much anxiety and were so depressed about your lack of physicality, as well as the burns on a part of your face where your jacket collar caught fire, that while you were determined to be back in the Varia, you'd lost all motivation to try to win Levi over romantically. Then that made you feel even more pathetic. Which made you more determined. But then you'd remember your skin wasn't unblemished anymore and you were a good 4 inches taller with the prosthetic's requirement, which made your smaller and cute aesthetic nonexistent. 

It was a vicious cycle. 

You had just started training your legs and arms into fighting strength when the Tiger Talk had to shut its doors. 

You understood, of course, since the Millefiore were still roaming around and she wasn't a fighter, but you were still sad to see her disappear. And her pie. 

You weren't relevant to the Varia's needs, so you were left in the dark about the goings on for the next 6 months. It wasn't fun to think about, so you worked your ass off. 

Almost literally. The heels you had to wear were killer. 

But you did it. You were, you thought, a better fighter. You'd even changed the prosthetic and your sword sharp heels to use your flame, as opposed to using your marbles and slingshot as a main weapon. 

You re-entered the mansion, 4-inches taller and feeling like a goddamned ninja with your half-masked face. You were greeted enthusiastically by Lussuria, who spun you around in a hug, and almost equally happily greeted by the very same baking goddess that you hadn't seen for months. 

It was nice. It felt nice to be needed again. You frowned at the depressing thought and shook your head violently. 

Levi had approached after that, looked you up and down and nodded. "Good to see you back," and walked away. You hadn't dropped the serious look once. 

When he left, you turned to Lussuria and gave them a beyond exasperated look. When you realized they couldn't see your face, you lowered the mask and redid the expression. 

"I know, dear."


	8. Chapter 8

Levi watched you train with the other subordinates, just as, if not more, fiercely than you did before.

You spun with more ease, only using your arms to balance yourself and to occasionally use a weapon you had taken from your opponent. Your flames had changed from automatically moving to your ring, to your heels. Your marbles still made their occasional appearance, but you seemed to shy away from their use and he only seen one make an appearance. 

He watched as you knocked his second in command to the ground and how your heel landed gracefully within a centimetre from his neck. 

You were stunning. 

He sucked in a breath. Every memorable moment with you flashed through his mind. The always teasing grin, the often innuendo laden flirtations, and your last description of your ideal man all came to mind. He felt utterly stupid. "Oi, ____!" He called. 

You looked up, eyebrows raising in question as you neared. "Yes, Boss?" You asked calmly. 

He floundered at your formality. "Where are your marbles?" He asked, sweatdropping as that was the first thing that came to mind.

You weren't about to admit that the sight of your marble's explosions spiked your anxiety after the battle. "They're here," you held up the box weapon. "I only use them in emergencies now," you added, stowing the box back into its carrier. 

He stared down at you, unable to read your expression. "The mask?" He questioned. 

You crossed your arms. "I've got burns and would rather not show them off," you replied, staring at him, clearly bored of the questions. 

"But a mask?"

After a moments hesitation, you sighed. "While it would be an _honour_ to be ranked in the top ten of creepiest mafioso, I'd rather not." 

He stared at you, you stared back. "You'd never be considered creepy." 

After a moment, your lips quirked up, and your eyes closed in a smile. "Thanks, but stop staring at me," you said and turned, walking back to the group of men you were sparring with. 

Levi's second dropped an arm around your shoulders. Your eyes narrowed at the close contact. "Careful with the heels, eh? I'm not ready to die." He joked, jostling you lightly. 

You looked at the one you were supposed to consider a superior, shrugged his arm off your shoulders and said, "If I planned to kill you at all, I would've done it years ago and secured my spot as official second in command," lightly. He stared at your back in slight surprise. 

Even Levi had taken to staring at you. You hadn't really been ambitious in your ascent in the Varia, always just the bare minimum to be considered strong enough for their rankings. 

"Anyone else?" You called. They kept back. You crossed your arms and waited. 

It was a stupid idea, he knew, but Levi stepped forward, "I'll take you on." 

You tensed. "Why?" He never sparred with you, even before you had to leave and train yourself. You'd asked, several times in fact, and had even used it as an opportunity to proposition him a couple of times, but he had never taken your offer. 

He sucked in a breath. "If I win, you'll be mine." He started to sweat as you stared at him in silence. His other subordinates were staring at him in shock. 

After a few more moments of silence, you laughed. Uproariously loud. "Are you serious?" You clutched your ribs. "All these years, I give you every opportunity to fuck me, and I literally mean fuck, I don't mean to just date, and you straight up ignored me?" You kept laughing, "And now, now that I feel _ugly_ and I _gave up ever getting your attention_ , now you want me?" You continued letting out errant giggles as you pulled your boxes out of your pocket, attached them to your belt, and shed your jacket. "Oh, you're not going to win this fight, _Boss_."


	9. Chapter 9

"You're an idiot," Lussuria sang as they healed Levi.

"Shut up." 

"I'm just saying~ _____ has gone through a traumatic event and isn't the same as she was before," Luss said, watching as their peacock strutted away. "Showing her attention now, after leaving her alone for nearly 7 months, on top of completely ignoring her advances for two years, was not a smart idea~" 

Levi rubbed his head and glared at Lussuria. "I know. Shut up."

Lussuria rubbed their chin. "You know, I think _____ just needs you to prove to her that she's still pretty to you before she'd be ready to even think of dating anyone. You could help the process if you reintroduced her to things she loved before while complimenting her." 

"What?" 

Lussuria grinned, "She was fond of pies from the TTC, you know." 

Levi glared at Lussuria. "You just want me to go get you some fucking scones, don't you?" He asked.

"Guilty~" Lussuria waved him out of the mansion. 

He did end up driving to the TTC. The owner looked surprised to see him, but that wasn't so surprising, considering he hardly went to the cafe himself. "I need a pie." 

"A pie?" She asked. 

"Yes, a pie. And scones." She nodded, got it ready, rang him up, and then sent him off with a cheery goodbye. 

He arrived back at the mansion, dropped the pie off in his room and went in search of you. 

He found you sitting with Fran, showing him your marbles. 

"____." 

You sighed heavily, put your marbles back into the box and turned to look at him. "Back for more?" You asked. 

"Oh, Levi, you got owned~" Fran mocked monotonously. 

Levi glared at him, "I have something for you," he said, turning to face you. 

"Oh?" 

"Yes, it's in my room." 

Your eyes narrowed. "I'm not going to sleep with you." 

His face turned red as he turned. "No. You're not." 

"Reverse psychology won't work either, Levi," you said, smirking to yourself. He rolled his eyes but was delighted you followed anyways. 

"Ah, my old wet dream, following you to your room and you not telling me to go away~" you said, mockingly wistful. 

He choked on nothing and turned to you. "Stop teasing," he ordered. 

"Okay. Maybe reverse psychology will work on me. No." 

He sighed in exasperation. When the two of you reached his room, he opened the door and allowed you to enter first. When he closed the door behind him, you looked at him again. "I'm not going to sleep with you." 

"Yes, you said." He rolled his eyes and picked up the bag on his desk, handing it to you. 

You took it, looked inside and raised your eyebrows. "Bro, you got me a pie?" 

"Yes." 

You nodded, pulled it out of the bag and then looked from it, to him, then back to it. "Did you want some?" 

He looked at it, you, then shook his head. "I know you're only asking to be polite, and that banana cream is your favourite, so no." 

You stared down at the pie and then gave him a grin. "That's so sweet!" You traipsed out of his room. "Bye, Levi~" you waved over your shoulder. 

"You're an amazing fighter!" He called. You waved again, already eating the pie as you walked. He watched you disappear around the corner and then cursed. "I could've spent more time with her if I said yes."


	10. Chapter 10

_"You're smart."  
_

_"You're beautiful."_

_"Your burn is badass."_

_"This height works well for you. And for me."_

Lussuria cut you off. "He _did not_ ~!" They exclaimed. 

You bit into the newest pie Levi got you, "He did! I shit you not," you said. "He even did the whole...face caressing thing and I nearly melted. I'm fucking gonna kick him soon," you said as you leaned back on the couch you were sitting on. 

"I can second that," Squalo growled. "I nearly puked at how pathetic Levi is being. He's more annoying than usual." 

"I can't believe how sappy he is!" Luss said, holding their face in awe. 

"He's so sappy, it's sickening," you agreed, grinning. You nudged Squalo after putting your pie to the side. He rolled his eyes, turned his back to you and allowed you to start combing his hair. Luss finished painting your toes. "He asked me out again." 

"Did he?" 

You nodded, "I didn't answer. I kind of ran away..." You admitted, frowning. 

"He's been chasing after you for the last month now." 

"Yeah, I feel bad about that." 

"To be fair, you chased him for years," Squalo said as you started braiding his hair. 

"Yeah, I know," you tied it off with an elastic. "But still, was I as sappy as him?" 

Squalo laughed. "You were loud about it. Everyone in the mansion knew you were interested in that idiot." 

"Mhmm~" Luss agreed, nodding their head. 

You shrugged. It was true. "Can I ask a question?" 

"Shoot," Luss replied. 

"Why are you here, Squ?" 

Squalo looked at the two of you, scoffed, and yelled, "Voi! You invited me!" 

"I know but you usually yell at me to leave you alone," you replied, shrugging sheepishly. He rolled his eyes. 

"So what are you going to do about Levi?" Luss asked. 

You let your hair flop out of its bun and turned to face the wall so Luss could start playing with your hair. "I don't know. How adverse do you think he'd be if I just jumped him?" 

Squalo laughed loudly. "Probably love it, the freak." 

You nudged him. "Don't be mean to my future husband," you scolded. He scoffed at you. You grinned. "I think I'll just jump him the next time he asks me out," you said thoughtfully. 

"The worst he could do is be an idiot and stop you by asking if you were saying yes," Squalo said. 

"Mhmm~ The best reaction would just be carrying you to his room," Luss added. 

You laughed. "Alright. Either way, Imma get some," you held up your hands for some high fives. They complied, Squalo only complaining slightly.


End file.
